Mercedes Benz India has announced the showcasing of the Concept A-Class, previewing the next generation A-Class, at the Auto Expo in Delhi next month. Besides the compact car concept, the limited-volume SLS AMG Roadster will be launched (Mercedes was indeed listening to us!). Mercedes used Auto Expo 2010 to launch the hardtop model, the Germans like the clock work don’t they!
The company exploits the world’s largest auto show to exhibit technologies and products that it isn’t divulging details on immediately. We were tipped off by a source that the new B-Class is part of the show but the press note does not provide explicit details, simply stating “new generation compact cars” will be on view.
The Concept A-Class is a sneak peek into the next generation A-Class. This could be Merc’s reply to the MINI
As many as 10 cars are ready to set the floor ablaze including the likes of the SLS GT3 and DTM cars alongside picks from the AMG collection.
Entry posted on December 18, 2011 by
Shrawan Raja;
Read More on Fiat
Regular readers of IndianAutosBlog.com were the first to learn about the MY2012 plans for Linea and Punto. Fiat India told us both cars receive new features but no cosmetic revisions.
Today in another IAB Exclusive, we have the entire details for you on what these feature add-ons are.
These updated Fiats will be launched on the 3rd of January, 2012. The company is not taking part in the Auto Expo and is may not launch any mass market models in 2012. New launches could follow after Fiat’s stand-alone dealer network is ready. Fiat is setting up as many as 20 new dealerships, reserved exclusively for Fiat products. It has revealed that a a car, smaller than Palio, powered by a 1-liter petrol engine is under development.
Talking exclusively to IndianAutosBlog.com during the Nissan Innovation Drive in Noida last week, Jerry Hardcastle, Nissan’s vice-president for vehicle design and development said the company isn’t rebadging every Renault or Nissan product in India. Renault’s rebadged Nissan Micra, Pulse, is touching down at the Auto Expo next month.
He said a few commercial vehicles in Europe have been badge engineered but the company will wait and watch how well the Duster is received in India before going in for a Nissan mini SUV.
Hardcastle added certain “differentiations” were an absolute must between products of the two companies and the biggest advantage of the alliance was to gauge the demand for a vehicle before a counterpart is launched. Hence there are no immediate plans for a Nissan Duster.
On the Car And Bike Show Facebook page, auto buff Vaibhav ShouryaVeer Gupta posted a few spyshots of the production-ready three-row Ertiga MPV revealing the car’s well-finished, dual tone interior from Gurgaon.
As we have learned from a previous set of spy pics, so many components of dashboard, gear lever, door pads, hand brake lever are drawn from the new Swift parts bin.
Second row passengers don’t have to undergo the agony of waiting for the front air conditioning vents to spool as the roof-mounted unit with dedicated controls comes to the rescue during summer months.
Component sharing under the skin is likely to be on the higher side to bring down costs. The Ertiga was previewed as a concept car, named R3, during the previous edition of the Delhi Auto Expo.
The Ertiga is launching during the Auto Expo next month, the 1.3-liter Multi-jet diesel with higher outputs compared to the Swift will drive this car. It can be positioned alongside the SX4 but the exact details, still unclear, are just weeks away from us. Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com!
With the less-used strategy of pricing the diesel car cheaper than petrol, Renault did not make any significant impact in the D Segment market. Although, the pricing strategy was sound, consumers fled to rivals because they were offering more features. Renault launched the Fluence in June in two variants.
Customer clinics showed that diesel customers were economy-oriented while the petrol customer loved beige interiors and could stretch his budget without flinching.
Rectifying the error, Renault India has launched a ‘loaded’ variant of the Fluence diesel called the E4.
As expected, BMW India has been on a roll when it comes to sales figures. The 20,000th BMW has finally rolled of the Chennai plant marking an epic milestone in the company’s India operations, the car being a silver X3 which was recently launched in India.
The production in the Chennai plant started way back in 2007 and currently assembles BMW 3- and 5-series saloons, the X1 and the X3 SUV. But we are pretty sure, that volumes were driven by the company’s entry level warrior – BMW X1.
The Bavarian giant has invested close to Rs 1.1 billion in the project with plans of increasing the investment to 1.8L billion by the end of 2012. Most operations in this plant are CKD and CBUs. The 2012 3 Series will also be assembled in the same plant in the near future. We definitely cannot wait for that!
The Chennai plant will also support the Mini brand in India. Although most Minis will come to India through CBU route initially, in the future, the company may plan CKD operations if the brand hits the sweet spot in India.
Although, Honda Siel is not interested in discussing about the 2012 Honda CR-V’s Indian launch, we are pretty sure that it is coming next year through the CKD route (duh!).
But Honda has already launched the new CR-V in USA with a lot of enthusiasm and marketing dollars. In this commercial, they are promoting a new concept called a ‘Leap-List’.
Has the Vento’s DNA trickled into the soul of the Rapid? How is the Skoda Rapid to drive? After the Initial Impressions and Interior pictorial, let’s find out if its all face and no trousers!
What powers the Skoda Rapid?
The Rapid is powered by the same engine set on duty in the VW Vento :
The 1.6L TDi (Diesel) produces 104 BHP (4,400 rpm) and 250 Nm of torque (1,500 – 2,500 rpm)
The 1.6L MPI (Petrol) is also rated at 104 BHP (5,250 rpm) and 153 Nm of torque (3,800 rpm)
